Prep: 10 mins · Cook: 10 mins · Serves: 4

The dish Neetu makes when there's a tub of cold rice in the fridge and not much else. Cumin, onions, whatever veg is going, and a teaspoon of Chilli Chutney to wake the whole thing up. Ten minutes from cold rice to dinner on the table. Properly the kind of recipe you reach for on a Tuesday when nothing else is happening.

Why you'll love this

• Ready in 20 minutes

• Uses up cold rice and odd veg

• One pan

• Naturally vegetarian

• A gentle way into the Chilli Chutney

Ingredients

Main

• 1 bowl of leftover rice

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• ½ cup mixed peppers, finely chopped

• ⅓ cup chopped mushrooms

• ⅓ cup peas (optional)

• 1 tbsp olive oil

Spices

• 1 tsp cumin powder or whole cumin seeds

• Salt, to taste

The Mama Sood's bit

• 1 tsp Mama Sood's Chilli Chutney

To serve

• A spoon of raita

Method

• Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent.

• Stir in the cumin and let it sizzle for a few seconds until you can smell it lifting.

• Add the peppers, mushrooms, peas and any other veg you're using. Season with salt and stir in the Chilli Chutney. Cook for a few minutes, until the vegetables soften and the oil starts to separate from the mixture.

• Tip in the rice. (If it's been in the fridge a while, warm it in the microwave with a splash of water first to loosen it up.) Add a splash of water to the pan to refresh the rice, then mix everything through.

• Cover the pan and let the rice steam for a couple of minutes.

• Turn off the heat and let it rest for a few minutes before serving with raita on the side.

Serving suggestion A bowl of fried rice and a spoon of cooling raita, eaten standing at the kitchen counter. Pack it cold into a lunchbox for the next day. Or serve it as a side with a quick dal for something more filling.

Mama's tip Cold rice works better than fresh. The grains have firmed up overnight and they don't go gluey when they hit the heat. If your rice is fridge-cold and clumpy, break it up with a fork before it goes in the pan, or give it 30 seconds in the microwave with a splash of water first.

About the chutney Mama Sood's Chilli Chutney is what stops this from tasting like a tired side dish. One teaspoon stirred through the veg gives you fresh green chilli heat, coriander, and the kind of lift that fried rice usually needs soy sauce to get. Skip the soy, reach for the chutney.

 

Variations

• Meaty: stir in shredded leftover roast chicken with the rice

• More veg: small florets of broccoli or cauliflower, finely chopped green beans, grated carrot

• Protein boost: cubes of paneer fried off first, or a beaten egg scrambled through at the end

• Hotter: a second teaspoon of Chilli Chutney, or a sliced fresh chilli with the onions